What Does Being a Writer Mean to You?

Welcome. This is the first of my entries--about what's involved in declaring yourself a writer and the issues that crop up.

What does being a writer mean to you? Does it mean

• Being alone and wondering whether you're spending your time in a useful way?
• Being alone and finally feeling relieved that you're writing something?
• Feeling like you are doing what you are meant to do?
• Feeling like you are engaged in doing something that ultimately can feel dangerous if you reveal too much?
• Feeling like you are doing hard work OR
• Feeling like you are playing

This list could go on and on.

Take a few minutes and jot down what being a writer means to you. Do you like doing it? When you write, does it make you feel happy? Or guilty...? Or purposive...? Or...? Write a few sentences where you capture your feelings in the moment and how you are writing. Do you have pencil and paper or are you typing into a keyboard or your phone or....

How long can you sustain your writing without stopping. When you think that you're done, write for three more minutes. If you were to write a P.S. to what you've just said what would it be?

Remember, the most powerful things we say are in our postscripts--what we almost didn't say.

The postscript here is that most people don't write unless they feel compelled to do so. What compels you to write? How can you make sure that you hear the call you have to write?